Picture Perfect
by Serenity05
Summary: She doesn't understand where they went wrong. She always thought they were perfect for each other. Somehow she was wrong. Things are going to change and she'll make sure of it. Or she'll fight for custody and leave him. Most of all she wants to know why.
1. Prologue

_New story! Hope you like it!_

_Disclaimer: No I don't own Sailor Moon. But I own Annabelle._

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"Picture Perfect"

Prologue

She had it all. Everything she had ever wanted, she managed to get. Her dream house was built for her, she had a wonderful daughter, and she had married the man of her dreams. He had given her everything she could ever need or want, and in return she had given him a child.

Annabelle was their little princess of six years and counting. The picture perfect life, some would call it. They were the type that would host parties and the people always grew envious of what they had. But really, no one knew what went on behind closed doors, because if they did, well it's not something to be envious of.

They didn't get along, they didn't say 'I love you', they didn't even try to comfort one another when things got rough. All of that had been a thing of the past. Now they fought endless fights and threatened each other without a single thought.

He always worked, whether it was at home doing paper work or at the Hospital. They were wealthy. She had no need to work and he wanted to keep it that way.

He was distant and she was confused.

It seemed as though Annabelle was the only thing holding them together. If it weren't for her they would have long since gotten their divorce. He loved his little princess and she knew she couldn't keep him from her. But then again she didn't really want to. Every girl needs a father, and he was it.

She loved him, but she also wanted the feeling returned. So she created the illusion that he was stressed and didn't actually hate her. Though that illusion was growing weary.

_End Prologue_

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_And here's the Prologue to my new story "Picture Perfect" I hope you liked it. Now go read the first chapter :) (03-17-07)_


	2. Chapter 1

_Hey everyone! I hope you all enjoy my new story. I worked fairly hard on this piece so I hope you appreciate it! don't worry about my other stories. I will update them I just wanted to get this idea out. Anyhow, I'll let you read the first chapter now. _

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"Picture Perfect"

Chapter 1

Serena Shields stood staring at her reflection in her full-length mirror. She frowned. She looked like the picture perfect wife and mother clad in black slacks, a white button up shirt, and black heels accompanied by a set of pearls. When had she become so reserved? Where had all her spunk gone?

She no longer had her meatballs like she did when she was younger. Her hair was now the length of mid-back and it was held up with a clip leaving only a few strains framing her face. She had begun to wear makeup years before but wasn't too fond of the women that wore a profound amount. So she kept hers light, but noticeable. She was still beautiful, but also different.

Looking away from her mirror to her silver watch she noted it was 8:00 Am. Time to wake Annabelle. She slowly exited her room and began walking down the hall to her daughter's room; only the soft clicking of her heels on the wooden floor was heard throughout the large house.

Once she reached Annabelle's room she stopped mid-step and stared at her daughters sleeping form. She truly was an angel. Her daddy's little princess and Serena's pride and joy. Neither one of them could even begin to fathom what a life without her would be like.

"Annabelle," Serena called as she walked over to her bedside. "Annabelle honey, it's time to get up," she said softly, lightly shaking her side.

"Five more minutes," was her daughter's barely audible reply as she pulled the covers over her head.

"Annabelle Elizabeth Shields out of bed this instant," she said sternly as she walked over to her closet and pulled it open.

Annabelle groaned.

"Come on sleepyhead, hurry up and get dressed or you'll miss your bus." She said while contemplating on what to choose for her daughter. _'So many blues,' _she thought examining her daughter's wardrobe. Her obsession had been pinks and whites, while her daughter's were blues and whites. Blues currently overpowering the whites.

Serena grinned when she found the perfect outfit. She turned; setting a navy blue polo and jean skirt on Annabelle's bed and prepared to take her leave.

Turning to leave, Annabelle's voice abruptly stopped her.

"Mommy," Annabelle said quietly while getting out of bed, her raven colored hair toppled every which way. "Where's daddy?" she asked unaware of how perturbed the question made her mother.

Serena contemplated on what to say for a moment. "Daddy's at work, honey." She paused. "He'll be home later."

All lies. Truth was; Serena had no idea where her husband was. He hadn't come home the night before, but she hadn't thought much of it. Though really, he had never pulled something as vast as not coming home before. But she couldn't bring herself to assume why he hadn't come home. Or maybe it was just the reality that she didn't really want to know for the time being.

"Hurry up and get ready while I make your lunch." Serena articulated as she made her way down stairs to the kitchen. '_Things are going to change around here,_' Serena thought angrily as she made her way to the refrigerator; grabbing the ingredients to Annabelle's lunch.

This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Serena wasn't supposed to have to lie to her daughter about where her father was. Thank god the child hadn't asked why he hadn't come home. Serena had enough sense to figure out that Annabelle knew he hadn't come home at all. Usually he was the one to tuck her in and tell her there was no boogeyman under her bed, and if there happened to be one he'd protect her. Sometimes he would come in maybe twenty minutes after she went to bed so Serena would have to tuck her in, but no later. It was hard enough for Serena to come up with such a simple reply, imagine a complicated one.

Fifteen minutes had gone by and Serena had managed to finish packing Annabelle's lunch without jamming the knife she held right into the counter. Every time she thought about him not coming home she wanted to hit something. She pushed the urge aside as best she could, calmed herself, and was ready to go. She walked out of the kitchen towards the staircase in the middle of the room to find her daughter descending the stairs like the princess her father made her believe she was. '_Definitely daddy's little princess,_'she thought grinning. He had dubbed her their little princess the day she was born. Serena still remembered the look on his face when he first saw her; he had that look of pure love and awe that every father got when they first saw their new addition to the family.

"Ready?" she asked as she watched Annabelle jump off the last step.

"Yep!" she exclaimed with a smile as she grabbed her lunch bag while Serena went and grabbed her book bag off of a near by chair. Serena grasped Annabelle's hand and led her out of the big entrance door to their house, swiftly shutting it afterwards. Hand in hand, they both continued down the long driveway to their gate where Annabelle's bus was waiting.

Noticing Annabelle's bus waiting patiently Serena quickly kneeled down. "Have a good day and I'll see you when you get home, okay?" she said softly as she put her backpack on.

"Okay," Annabelle murmured, giving Serena a hug and a kiss. "I love you, mommy."

Serena couldn't help but smile. "I love you too. Now get going." She said while quickly nudging Annabelle towards her bus. Serena watched her bus pull away and waved until it was out of view.

Sighing, she then turned back towards her house and took it all in for what seemed like the first time. It was huge. Two stories tall with seven bedrooms, four bathrooms, two offices, a bar, an entertainment room, living room, dining room, kitchen, and a swimming pool. If that wasn't enough, the swimming pool was accompanied by its own bathroom and a pool house.

She had by no means been bothered by the size, but now it all seemed pointless. It was no more than herself, Darien, and Annabelle. Why all the space?

Serena shook her head and strolled back up the driveway to her house. When she re-entered her home it was filled with silence; only the soft echo of the closing door behind her broke through the silence.

What to do, what to do?

Being a stay at home mother wasn't all that it was cracked up to be. It was boring. Serena envied Darien. He got to work while she stayed at home all day long and did absolutely nothing. It wasn't that bad when Annabelle was younger, because that gave Serena something to do. But now that she was in school all Serena had was free time.

She wanted to work so badly it was killing her. Serena had always wanted to be either a Lawyer or a Doctor. She had went to college, gotten the proper degrees, and had everything all planned out. But Darien had insisted that she stay home for Annabelle.

So she did, and she threw away her dream.

It wasn't Annabelle's fault though. They could have easily hired a Nanny. But no, Darien and his "My wife's never going to compete with my profession" crap kept her from her dream.

He was a terrific Doctor, a loving father, but a horrible husband. Serena didn't think she could take anymore of his verbal abuse. Sure she fought back and said some hurtful things too. But his comments hurt a lot more than hers did. She missed her old Darien. The man she fell in love with and married. She had the strongest feeling that he didn't love her anymore. And it hurt.

It was time to call the one person she knew could help her figure out what to do. It was time to call Raye.

Serena walked into the kitchen and grabbed the phone, but before Serena could dial Raye's number she heard the front gate open and a car pull up in their driveway. She walked to the window and saw that it was Darien. She watched him exit his car and hurriedly walked to the door, opening it before he could grasp the handle.

"Where the hell have you been?!" she asked with irritation evident in her voice as she blocked his way into their home. There was no way he was getting in without an explanation. She deserved that much.

Darien just stared at her. "Move." He said firmly.

Serena glared at him. How dare him! "Excuse me?!" she shouted. Her breaking point was definitely coming and she could feel it. "Move?! Answer my goddamn question Darien!" she screamed standing her ground.

"Serena, do not start something you cannot finish. Now _move._" He said forcibly while trying to contain his rising anger. She just didn't know when to shut up and move.

Serena stood her ground. "I'm not afraid of you Darien." She said flatly. There was no way she was going to let him walk all over her. No sire he'd have another thing coming.

"Serena," he said through clenched teeth, "Do not fuck with me honey. I said move so you better move."

"No." she sneered sounding a lot tougher than she actually felt.

Big mistake; wrong thing to say.

Darien shoved Serena out of the way and slammed the door behind him, then walked over to where she was leaning against the wall. His eyes looked as if they were burning with fire. One would think he was about to kill.

"I don't have to tell you anything, _Serena_. Next time, keep your nose out of other peoples business." He scowled only mere inches from her face.

Serena glared at him. "I'm your _wife; _I have a right to know."

"Wrong Serena. Just because you are my wife doesn't mean you are entitled to know where I am every minute of the day."

_'Well it use to.' _she thought to herself sadly. "You never came home." She whispered softly while slightly tearing up.

Those tears, they weren't because he hadn't come home. No, it was because she was scared. She had seen him pissed off plenty times before, sure. But he had never actually gotten in her face. She was petrified. She knew she couldn't handle him if it ever came to the point where she had too.

Darien snapped his head away from her face and turned to walk away. He had scared her and he knew it. He was disappointed in himself.

"Where is she?" he spoke more calmly now.

"She just left for school about a half an hour ago."

He nodded and made his way up the stairs.

Serena watched him climb the stairs and held back the tears she had made the mistake of letting him see. She began walking towards the kitchen for the phone but stopped. "Darien?" she called after him.

He sighed once he reached the top of the stairs. "Yes Serena?" he asked as he turned towards her.

Serena paused. What was she going to say? 'Oh well are you going to tell me where you were or not?' It was made clear he had no interest in doing just that, so why push the matter? "Never mind." She mumbled walking into the kitchen.

Darien stared at where she had stood just a moment ago. '_Typical._' He thought before making his way to his office.

Serena took a deep refreshing breath and picked up the phone, quickly dialing Raye's number. "Hello?" was heard on the other end.

"Raye it's Serena, are you busy this afternoon?"

"No I'm not." There was a pause. "Why? You want to do something?"

Serena nodded but quickly realized Raye couldn't see her. "I was thinking maybe you could come over and we could go out to lunch. I just really need some advice. What do you say?" she asked hopeful.

Raye was beaming. It had been awhile since they had gotten a chance to hang out. "Sure Serena! Can't wait! What time do you want me to come over?"

"Well what time would be good for you?" Serena let out a bitter laugh. "I've got nothing but free time."

"Hmm… I could be there in about an hour and we could just hang out and then go to lunch a little later if you want."

Serena smiled. "Okay that's perfect. Thanks a lot Raye. I'll see you then."

"You got it. Bye."

Serena smiled and hung up the phone. She really needed someone to talk to about her… how to put it? _Problems._ If Raye was lucky, Serena wouldn't go insane until_ after_ she got there.

Sighing, Serena made her way up the stairs to her room. God these stairs were becoming a pain in the ass. She briefly passed Darien's office on the way and saw him doing some type of paper work. "Workaholic," she mumbled to herself.

"I heard that." He called after her with a smirk.

"Good."

_End Chapter 1_

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_So? What did you think? Did you like it? Oh I hope so! I like it a lot. And there's more to come! So please review and tell me what you think! Oh and by the way, Annabelle isn't Rini. I don't think I'm going to have their pasts filled with Sailor Moon stuff. I'm just gonna go with the flow. If in their pasts they turn out to be the scouts then so be it. I haven't decided yet. Anyway, please review! (03-17-07)_


	3. Chapter 2

_Yay here's Chapter two! Hope you all enjoyed the last chapter. Thank you to everyone who reviewed! Just to clear things up, Darien didn't hit Serena, he just shoved her out of the way. Guess it's kind of the same though huh? I know I wouldn't tolerate anyone even so much as poking me the wrong way. I hope no other girl would tolerate someone like Darien either. Even if you claim you love him. That's no excuse. Move on. Divorce. Whatever. Anyway, so yeah. I'll let you read Chapter Two now(:_

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"Picture Perfect"

Chapter 2

Darien sat at his desk thinking about the night before when he had most unfortunately, lost someone. It wasn't his first loss – there had been a few before - but it still managed to get him just as it had the first time. Being a doctor had its ups and downs, and losing someone was an all-time down.

Every loss – hopefully summing to very few – was etched into your head. You remembered them all. Darien hadn't lost very many patients, maybe at most, three in all his years of working as a doctor. But the fact of the matter was; he had lost three too many, and it angered him every time.

Darien always had to deliver the bad news to the patient's family and it was hard. The days when he helped out with the women about to give birth were heartbreaking. Losing a woman after she gave birth was the absolute hardest thing to tell a family. Having to tell them that the newborn wouldn't ever have the chance of meeting their mother was truly _painful_.

But he continued on with his job. _You can't save everybody, _he used to tell himself.

That was why he hadn't come home, and that was why he was so pissed off. He had lost a young woman of about twenty-two years of age last night while she gave birth to her new daughter. The husband was completely devastated. Darien had only lost one other mother before. But she was in her fifties so it wasn't completely heartbreaking considering she had lived a good majority of her life. But _twenty-two. _How could the world be so cruel? The young woman hadn't even lived a third of her life yet. It was just unbelievable how someone so young wouldn't be able to experience a full life.

So in the midst of his despair, he ran to the nearest thing that he thought could take his mind off of his loss. _Christina._

Christina was his secretary. She was a slut and everyone knew it. She watched Darien like a hawk and she wanted him – badly. At the time, Darien created the illusion that he needed her. So it was okay to screw around a little bit, right? He gave her what she wanted, and it was comforting to him.

He felt no guilt. No regret. No shame.

After Serena passed by he wondered if she would ever find out. '_Probably not,_' he mused. And in reality, he didn't really care. Well so that's what he convinced himself of.

Darien was brought out of his thoughts when he heard the phone ring. He looked at the caller ID and noticed it was Andrew so he picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Hey Darien, no work today?" Andrew asked from the other end.

"I decided to stay home today… paper work and all, you know?"

"I hear you, man." He paused. "So I've got something I want to talk to you about. You busy right now?"

Darien looked down at his paper work and frowned. "No."

"Excellent. I'm coming over then. You'll want to hear this in person."

"Alright, I'll see you then. Bye Andrew."

"Yeah, bye."

Darien hung up the phone and thought about what Andrew wanted to talk about. If he wanted to tell him in person it must be important. Or maybe Andrew was exaggerating a little. '_Guess I'll have to wait and see._'

Darien all of the sudden heard Serena squeal breaking the silence, and saw her run past his office. He quirked an eyebrow at her sudden excitement and got up to follow her. After their episode he couldn't imagine what she could possibly be excited about.

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"Raye, Raye, Raye, Raye, Raye!" she squealed running down the steps to the door.

Before the fiery priestess could even put her hand up to knock on the door it was thrown open and the bubbly blonde jumped into her arms. Raye was confused at first, but returned the hug full-force. "It's been awhile huh?"

Serena smile and pulled back. "Yeah, too long."

Raye nodded and followed Serena into the house. "Wow. Not much has changed here. Feels like it was just yesterday."

"Well I try to keep things the same you know? I don't care much for change."

Raye nodded and looked towards the stairs where she saw Darien walking down with an impassible expression.

"Hey Darien!" she smiled. "It's been a long time huh?"

Darien nodded and glanced at Serena who had become rather interested in her shoes as he came to stand right in front of her. "Serena?"

"I was going to tell you when she got here." She said quietly.

Darien raised a questionable eyebrow at her. "There's no need. Raye is always welcome here." He turned his attention back to Raye once he saw Serena look up at him. "So Raye, how have you been all this time?"

Raye looked a little confused. She had never seen Serena so… uncomfortable around him. "Uh… oh, everything's been great Darien. How about you and Serena?"

Darien smirked but she hadn't seemed to notice. "We're as happy as ever." He said wrapping his arms around her waist and laying his head on her shoulder. "Aren't we Serena?" he asked.

Serena stiffened and he seemed to get a kick out of it. "Yeah, we've been perfect." She replied while fighting off the urge to lift her leg with all she had and jam it right into his groin. '_Bastard._'

Darien, sensing her shifting weight quickly pecked her on the cheek and backed up, but not before whispering, "Not so fast, _sweetheart._" In her ear.

"Well, I'll leave you two girls to chat now." Darien said as he began towards the stairs. "Oh and Raye, it was very nice seeing you again. Don't be a stranger now." he said before ascending the stairs.

Raye smiled then turned towards Serena. "I so know there's a pool here. So… are we going to?"

Serena let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and smiled at Raye. She knew she loved to swim and she knew she couldn't deny her unspoken request. "Did you bring a suit?"

Raye beamed and pointed towards her bag. "You know it."

"Alright then, let's go change. Follow me."

Serena led Raye to one of the guest bathrooms and told her she could change in there and that she'd be in the next room over. Raye nodded and gently closed the door after Serena exited.

Serena made her way to her room to change. She shuffled through her drawers to find the new suit she had just bought. "Ah hah!" she declared in triumph as she found the suit. It was a black two piece bikini that showed off her splendid figure and complimented her breasts greatly. She quietly closed her door and quickly removed her clothing before putting the bikini on. '_Perfect._' She thought as she looked herself over in the mirror.

Serena heard a knock on her door and heard Raye's voice. "Just a minute." She called while she grabbed two towels out of her closet and made her way to the door.

"Ready?" she asked stepping outside.

Raye nodded. "Yep."

"Kay, lets go then." Serena said as she made her way down stairs and out to the pool, Raye in tow.

"I totally forgot about the hot tub!" Raye exclaimed in awe. "God Serena you really made your dream come true huh? All this, a beautiful daughter, and Darien. I'm Envious Serena. Envious."

Serena couldn't stand it. '_And Darien?_' she questioned herself. God, Raye had no clue. No clue at all as to what _hell_ he was bringing upon her. "Raye, we really need to talk." She said softly while get into the hot tub after Raye who had long since leaped in. '_Twenty-six and still full of life._' She thought.

Raye glanced at Serena and noticed her unhushed tears."Serena?" Raye questioned, moving to sit next to her. "Serena, what's wrong?"

Serena looked up at Raye who had pure concern written all over her features. "Raye, I can't take it anymore. I don't know what to do, or what happened. I just – god Raye I don't know! I want everything the way it used to be. I'm tired of the _picture perfect_ life!"

Raye was wide-eyed. "Whoa, whoa, come on Serena slow down, honey. Take a deep breath."

Serena nodded and did as she was told.

"Now what's the matter? Are you stressed? Is it Annabelle? Is she too much to handle?"

Serena's head shot up. "No, no, no!" she protested, "Annabelle's great. She's such a good kid Raye. It's not her. It's-it's…"

"It's what Serena?" Raye prodded.

Serena spat the word as if it burned to speak it. "_Darien_."

Raye faltered for a moment. "Dar-Darien?" she asked unbelievably.

Serena nodded.

"But he was just-"

"He was _acting_ Raye. And he's goddamn lucky I didn't plant my heel in his groin! Cocky son of a bitch." She scowled. God would she like to show him.

Raye was silent. She was confused and had no clue what the hell she should say. So she started with a simple yet dim question. "Acting?"

Serena felt like literally knocking some sense into Raye at that moment. "My god and you're supposed to be a therapist?!"

"Hey, hey, hey! Let's not bash my profession now! I'm just confused that's all. You talk a damn mile a minute so how about you _explain_." Raye countered.

"Explain? You want me to explain?" Serena questioned, almost amused. "Get comfortable then."

Raye shot Serena a look. That sounded like something Raye would say to her patients. But nonetheless she complied and made herself comfortable in the warm hot tub.

"Comfortable?" Serena asked.

Raye Nodded.

"Okay, so for the past few months…"

_End Chapter 2_

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_You like? I came up with this as I went along. I really enjoyed writing this chapter. I hope you enjoyed reading it(: Excellent, Good, Bad, or Terrible? Your opinions are much appreciated(: Flames hurt. But if they're constructive I don't mind. Oh and it's like 2am here so please if you find any grammatically incorrect errors... point them out. I'll fix them tomorrow. Right now it's off to bed! (03-18-07)_


	4. Chapter 3

_And here's Chapter Three! God I'm really good about updating this story! Four entries in like two days. Best non-writers block record ever. Well for me Thank you to my loyal reviewers! You all rock. Now go read and review(:_

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"Picture Perfect"

Chapter 3

"Okay well for the past few months, to put it simply, Darien has been a complete _asshole_."

Raye frowned. "Serena I said _explain_."

"I'm getting there Raye!" she stopped, making sure she had Raye's complete attention then went on. "Well, we fight like you have no idea. I mean _all _the time. Today wasn't too bad before you got here, but he _actually_ got in my face Raye. It was scary; he's never done that before. I don't know what the _hell_ his problem was but he just flipped out. It wasn't like he had a reason to either. I wanted to know where the hell he was last night so I asked, but no, can you just ask Darien that? Hell no, he'll look you dead in your face and say just because you're his wife doesn't mean your entitled to know where he is every minute of the day. I mean god forbid I want to know where my husband is right? I mean please, kill me for caring!"

"Serena, are you leaving something out? I don't really think he would get in your face just for asking." Raye exclaimed having a hunch that she was indeed leaving pieces out. She knew from being a therapist, that when people had problems they had the tendency to leave a few important details out.

Serena shot her a look, but answered nonetheless. Damn her and her profession. "Okay fine. So _I _started screaming at him before he said a word. So _I_ wouldn't let him in. So _what_. That doesn't justify his actions Raye."

"Really Serena? You really think so? So what you're saying is," she begun, "He was just supposed to sit there and take it? What did you honestly think he was going to do, turn around and go find another house to stay in?"

"_No_ but I didn't expect him to flip out, Raye."

Raye raised an eyebrow at her unbelievably. She started it, but didn't think he would react the way he did? My god this woman was in denial. "Serena, are you on crack?"

Serena was baffled, sitting there with her mouth wide open, flapping her lips like a fish. Crack? Serena didn't even leave the damn house. How the hell would she get crack? It's not even like she knew anyone who could bring it to her house. And why the _hell_ would she even think about doing crack? "No Raye!" she bit back after regaining her composure. "I am not on crack! God whose side are you on?!"

"Yours Serena, but come on. You're not thinking about _your_ actions and the domino affect they have."

Serena glared daggers at Raye. "My actions are justified."

Raye fought off the urge to laugh. "How so?"

"Shut up Raye."

Frowning, Raye moved on to another question. "Has Annabelle witnessed any of these fights?"

Serena shook her head. "No, thank god, she hasn't. Darien's the perfect father around her. We can be fighting one minute, then when he sees her the next minute, his mood completely changes. I don't get it Raye."

"Well tell me when it all started to change; I need background to go on." Raye chortled, going into therapist mode.

"Well maybe three months ago. I mean, I don't know, I didn't even see the signs or anything. I thought he was just stressing out over work and was just easily irritated."

"Okay." Raye nodded in consideration. "Well as for the signs, most people don't see them right away. So that's nothing to worry over. But do you have any idea at all as to what caused his change?"

"Stop beating around the bush Raye and act like a friend not a therapist." She snapped. "How the hell am I suppose to know why my husband hates me? That's not something I think of daily!"

"_Serena stop it_!" Raye snapped back, raising her voice. "I'm just trying to help! You said you needed help so I'm doing what I can. I can't help you if you don't tell me anything!"

Serena crossed her arms and glared at her. "Well don't be so bitchy."

Raye calmed herself. "You haven't _seen_ bitchy yet."

Serena snickered. "Okay Raye, you keep telling yourself that."

The raven-haired women ignored her, choosing to continue their 'session' in peace. "So can you tell me about another fight you've had with him? I want to compare the happenings."

Serena pondered the subject for a minute. "Well, there was this one time, like a week or two ago, I wanted to get away for awhile so I told him I was going to take Annabelle and go on vacation for a few days. But he hadn't liked the idea and he started yelling about how I didn't care about her school career or anything that was important to him or her. Where he got that idea, I don't know. But he got angry and said some really idiotic things about our past when we were in school. Some shit about how my grades dropped like bricks if I ever missed school and he didn't want that for Annabelle. He said we could wait until her break which was like two months away. I got mad, yelled, you know the usual."

Raye coughed. "Serena, have you ever considered that you're part of the problem? I mean you fight back just like he does. What do you expect?"

"I get that Raye. I do. And I really don't care about that. I want to know why he turned cold all of the sudden. I mean you remember we were inseparable when we were younger. We couldn't get enough of each other. And now all of the sudden we can't stand each other? Why is that Raye? I just don't get it."

"Well," Raye said titling her head to the side I thought. "I can't answer that. People drift apart-"

"But they don't loath each other with everything they have!"

Raye shot Serena look that meant big trouble if she interrupted her again. "As I was saying, people drift apart all the time. Okay sure they don't hate each other; I'll give you that one. But you forget, you don't know how he feels. So there is a possibility you are just drifting apart from one another. It could be something more, but I honestly can't say. I don't know how he feels Serena, but I'm sure he doesn't hate you."

There was silence. Serena knew she had a point. But her gut feeling that he hated her got the best of her and she broke down. She was supposed to be strong. To not cry and work this through. But it was hard and it was about time she gave out while she had someone there to help her.

Why did she still love him? After all this she should hate him. Shouldn't she? So why does she still get that heart-fluttering feeling when she sees him playing with Annabelle, or when she sees his face light up at the sight of his princess? Motherly love for Annabelle? No it's more than that and she knows it. It's _him_.

"Is it wrong Raye… to love him after all of this?"

Raye thought about it. "No Serena." she said softly. "It's not wrong. If you love someone, you can't control that. It's not wrong to love him. That's all you've ever done, and that feeling won't just go away over night."

Serena's tears managed to subside momentarily. "Thanks Raye. I really appreciate what you're doing. I don't think I could have survived one more day without talking to someone about this."

Raye smiled and gave her a hug. "I'll always be here for you Serena."

Serena managed to catch a faint knocking sound at their door. '_Darien will get it._'

Knocking.

More constant knocking.

"Uh, Serena, are you going to get that?" Raye asked.

"God damn it Darien." Serena scowled as she got out of the hot tub and quickly dried herself off. "I'll be right back Raye." She said leaving for the door.

Upon entering the house Serena saw Darien just now exiting his office while straightening his black tie against his white shirt. "Incapable of getting the door, Darien?" she questioned as she opened it.

"How may I help y-" stopping mid-sentence Serena gasped. "Andrew!" she squealed jumping into his arms and embracing him.

Andrew smiled. '_Same old Serena._'

"Nice seeing you too Serena." he laughed, returning her embrace while giving her one good spin. She loved it. He knew it reminded her of their younger years when she would jump into his arms after a few days of not being able to see him.

Andrew put Serena down and she was beaming. "It's so good to see you again Andrew. God it seems like it's been _years_."

"Serena could you leave us?" Darien questioned, coming up behind her. "Andrew has something important he wanted to tell me."

Serena frowned. "But Darien I haven't se-"

"Serena." he said sternly, cutting her off.

Serena nodded sadly and gave Andrew an apologetic look. "Uhm… well it was nice seeing you again Andrew." She said giving him another quick hug and turned to leave.

"Oh by the way," she said stopping shortly. "Raye's here."

Andrew nodded. "I'll come out before I leave."

Serena smiled and made her way back outside to the hot tub.

"What was that about?" Andrew asked, peering around the corner to make sure she was out of ears shot.

Darien frowned. "You know we haven't been getting along Andrew."

Andrew smirked. "Almost forgot."

"Shut up and come on." Darien said leading him up the stairs to his office.

"So what did you want to tell me?" he asked sitting in the chair behind his desk.

Andrew took a seat on his couch before asking, "You know that Christina chick, your secretary?"

Darien's face was expressionless. "I do."

Andrew smirked. "Well, that whore has been going on and on about how she got you to sleep with her last night. She's spreading it all around the hospital Darien."

Darien said nothing.

"What if Serena finds out, Darien?"

"She won't." he said flatly.

"Darien how can you be so sure-"

"Andrew, Serena never leaves the house. There's no way she'd ever find out."

"Alright man, if you say so." Andrew exclaimed leaning back into the couch. "So when's the last time you and Serena… you know?"

Darien shot Andrew a look. "Now why in the hell would I tell you that?"

"Well, you really must have been desperate to screw that bimbo. I mean come on she's a total slut, Darien. So I figured Serena stopped giving you any."

"Nice way to put it smartass. And what my wife and I do is none of your business."

"Yeah but what you and Christina do is everybody's business, correct?"

Darien scowled and threw a pen at him. "Shut up idiot. She's a whore and it was a one time thing."

Andrew grinned. "Whatever you say."

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"Andrews here," Serena proclaimed as she got back into the hot tub with Raye and sat down.

"Really?" Raye asked. "Is he going to come out for a bit?"

Serena nodded. "He said he'd stop by before he left."

It was quiet for a moment. "Hey Serena," Raye asked, "Do you still have that high school crush on him?" she asked trying her best to choke down the laugh that threatened to escape.

"What?!" Serena exclaimed, "I'm married! Plus that crush only lasted like a year!"

Raye couldn't hold it in any longer, she immediately started laughing uncontrollably at Serena's reddened face.

"Whore." Serena mumbled.

"Hey! I heard that!" Raye exclaimed slightly offended.

Serena smiled innocently. "Raye honey, I think you're hearing what you want to hear."

Raye made a 'humph' sound before biting back. "You think I want to hear someone call me a whore?"

"Kinky." Was all Serena said in return.

Raye chuckled. "So I was thinking about Darien and what you said,"

At the mention of Darien, Serena gave Raye her undivided attention. She needed the advice. Badly.

Raye shifted in her watery seat. "Well," she began, "I think that you should just go with the flow. Try not to piss him off and show him that you still love him. Maybe he'll get it through his head and realize that he still loves you and that every couple has their hard times."

"And if he doesn't?" asked Serena.

Raye paused. "Leave him. All you can do is try Serena."

Serena looked towards his office window. She could do this. She could show him. No problem.

At least, that's what she hoped.

_End Chapter 3_

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_Good? Bad? Interesting? Tell me everything from what you liked to what you didn't like! I'm all ears. And if any of you have ideas or suggestions I'm open to consider them. No promises though. Review, review, review! I'll give you a cookie! (: (03-19-07)_


	5. Chapter 4

_Yay I'm finally updating, I know: ) This chapter it the longest yet. Almost 3,000 words I hope you all enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it! In my opinion, it's fairly good. Go ahead and tell me what YOU think after you're done reading it._

_Disclaimer: No. I do not own S-Cry-Ed. _

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Andrew remained seated on the couch in Darien's office, silently staring at him. He couldn't quite get his head around the way Darien's mind worked. Especially with the whole Christina deal. He knew _why_ Darien did it. But to him that wasn't a good reason. And he was sure if Serena found out; it wouldn't be a good reason to her either.

Even though they had been best friends for practically half of their lives, Andrew didn't always agree with everything his long time friend did. And cheating on Serena – of all people – was not something he was happy about.

The fact that Darien didn't seem to really care about Christina spreading rumors, wasn't what he had expected. If she didn't end it, Serena was going to find out. Even if it _was _a one time thing – a one night stand - if Serena found out, he _was_ going to lose her.

But then again, maybe that's just what he needs. A dose of reality. He doesn't seem to care much for her now anyway.

"Andrew?"

The blonde haired man shifted his gaze to meet his companions. They had both been in thought for the past few minutes. "Hmm?" he murmured, not very interested in whatever he had to say.

"Does Amy still work at the Hospital? I haven't seen much of her lately." Darien questioned. He really hadn't seen much of that girl anymore. It's like she just vanished.

Andrew didn't see his point. Why would he care? Nonetheless, he answered. "I believe so, yes. She's just working with a different unit now."

Or maybe he just buried his head in his work to much to notice. "Andrew, do you see what I'm getting at? That's not good. I thought the girl had moved or something."

The blonde studied his friend questionably. Was he missing somethi- "Oh shit!" he half shouted once it sunk in. "Darien, if Amy hears-"

"I know," Darien scowled. "Lower your voice, will you. They're only downstairs."

Andrew nodded. "So what are we going to do? I'm sure it's been spread throughout the Hospital by now. Even if Amy thinks it's just a rumor and not a fact, she'll still bring it up to Serena."

"We," Darien said calmly, grabbing his black jacket off of a near by hook. "Are going to pay little Miss Christina a visit." He looked at Andrew for any sign of protest, but none came.

"Now you're talking." Andrew exclaimed, slightly relieved that he had finally chosen to do something. He got up to follow Darien out of the room but remembered Serena's request. "Darien, before we leave, can we stop by the girls? I promised Serena I'd drop by before leaving."

Darien looked at Andrew, considering his options. Well it wouldn't hurt would it? And then he nodded.

Andrew practically jumped off the last step of the stairs as he went to go pay the girls their requested visit, Darien in tow.

Serena stopped her chatter with Raye once she heard footsteps approaching. She looked up to see Andrew walking out onto the patio with her husband not far behind. She looked puzzled. Couldn't he have come alone?

"Andrew!" Raye exclaimed, getting out of her seat to greet him. The girls were no longer clad in their bathing suits, but their previous attire. Serena stood as well, giving Andrew a quick hug but did her best to keep her distance from Darien, who was not more than six feet away from her.

"Thank you for coming out, Andrew." Serena said lightly, as she embraced him. She stole a glance at her husband, and he was staring right at her, his face impassive.

She had to say, he had that whole stoic man thing down pretty well. She sighed. He was so absurd.

"Well I couldn't just leave without keeping my promise now, could I?"

Raye took her time looking her male companion over. Oh yes, he had the body, the looks, personality, everything. Why couldn't Serena have married him?

Stop.

She couldn't think that. Darien and Serena were perfect for each other and she loved him. That's why she married him. After all, they really were the best couple in their earlier days.

Raye glanced at Serena who looked a bit uncomfortable. Darien hadn't said a word yet, he just stood with his arms crossed, waiting. And that did make the air a little tense. Though Raye doubted Serena was hoping for anything more.

"So Raye, I hear you're a therapist now? How's that going for you?" Andrew asked conversationally, bringing Raye out of her revere.

The raven haired woman turned her gaze on Andrew. "Yes I am. It's going amazingly well. I really like what I do. You know, the whole helping people bit. It makes it all worth it."

Andrew nodded. He knew what Raye had meant by that. She rarely had enough free time for herself. Much less a relationship. After all, his relationship with Rita had failed because of his chosen career. He just didn't have enough time to spare.

"Andrew," Serena piped up. "What happened to that arcade you ran when we were kids? I mean now that you're a doctor, you can't possibly do both."

He laughed at her curiosity in the olden days. But it was true; he didn't have enough time to run the old arcade anymore. "The Crown Arcade? True to your word, I don't have enough time to run that place anymore, but I still own it. I had a close friend of mine take over for me. His profession isn't an all day thing like mine. So it suits him."

Raye raised a questioning eyebrow at him. "Who exactly is this 'friend' of yours?"

The green eyed man wasn't fazed by her penetrating gaze. She could never let go of the past. "Yes Raye, Jadeite is the friend I referred to." He said, reading between the lines.

Raye scowled. "So he still has enough guts to stay around here, huh?"

"Raye-" Andrew tried to reason.

"No Andrew." She said cutting him off. "You know what he did. You _know. _Don't even try and make him look like a good guy. He shouldn't even be here. He should have left when he had the chance."

Andrew sighed and shook his head. "Raye, please. You were both so young. Just let it go."

Raye contemplated her options. All right, so they were young. On the contrary, she really hadn't known he was still here; maybe this was a good thing. After all, it was his choice not hers. She could convince him to let them try again.

"Fine," She said simply, receiving many baffled expressions due to her sudden change in mood.

Serena took this time to steal another glance at Darien. He was still standing with his arms crossed, his face as impassive as ever. But his eyes – they were dancing with laughter. He was mocking her. Damn him and his narcissistic self.

Andrew cleared his throat. "Well," he said as he turned to look at Darien who was still waiting patiently. "We have somewhere we have to be, so I guess this is goodbye."

Serena averted her eyes towards Andrew, momentarily forgetting about Darien. She watched as Raye said her goodbyes and gave Andrew a quick hug, then walked over to Andrew and stood silent for a moment.

"Promise you'll visit again soon." She said softly. She didn't want him to leave. Not yet. Not now.

Andrew smiled warmly at the grown woman in front of him. Years older, and she still had a part of little Serena still in her. "Promise."

She smiled and hugged him tightly; she was going to miss him. Even if they had only spent a few minutes together, it was still nice to see her old friend again. She would make sure that she'd see him more often.

Darien stared at the scene unfolding before him. Something inside him made his fists clench unconsciously as he watched his wife hug another man. This wasn't jealously. No it was far from it. It was… something else. But he didn't know what. Not that he really wanted to know anyway.

As the embrace ended Serena took a few steps back and waited for them to leave. Darien took this opportunity to his advantage and walked over to her. "We have some business to take care of at the Hospital," he explained, his face still impassive. "I'll be home later tonight after I finish what I need to."

Serena stared at him. Holy shit he was talking to her. All she could do was nod. There was really nothing she could say. Maybe he was putting on an act in front of Raye and Andrew.

"Be good." He murmured in her ear and then kissed her cheek. Darien let his lips linger on his wife's cheek a little longer than necessary.

Serena itched to feel his lips against hers but knew it wasn't going to happen. She wanted nothing to do with his loveless kisses. He was just taunting her. Knowing her weakness. There was a hole in her chest, and he made it ache.

Darien was smiling inwardly, her expression was priceless. His job was done, and with that he walked away, signaling for Andrew to follow. Satisfaction written all over his face.

Before leaving, Andrew gave her an apologetic smile. He knew Serena didn't like what just happened. Maybe it would have been better for him to have come out alone.

Once they were out of sight Serena's eyes narrowed into slits, as if by reflex. "I swear that man is set on making my life a living hell." She said through clenched teeth.

Raye turned her attention back to Serena who had her back to her, almost shaking in rage. She sighed. "Serena, just forget about it. Don't let him get to you like that."

Serena spun around to face her friend. "No Raye. That won't work with him. If he wants to play dirty, we'll play dirty. He doesn't have control of me anymore, I'm doing what I want from here on out."

Serena stormed into the house, headed for her bedroom. Raye stared after her, puzzled.

"Serena," she called. "Serena where are you going?" She questioned, marching into the house and up the stairs after her.

"We," she explained, using the plural. "Are going out."

Raye reached her bedroom and saw Serena searching through the closet, throwing meaningless things about the room. She looked at the now messy room and frowned. "Serena, what are you doing?"

"Looking," Serena's muffled voice said through a pile of clothes. "For that outfit you gave me a few years back. The one I said I'd never wear."

Raye had to think about which outfit she meant for a moment. Nothing came to her. "Which outfit?"

"Ah… found it!" Serena exclaimed, pulling out a very, very small tank top and some faded tight blue jeans. Actually, the tank top looked more like a bathing suit top than anything else. It was a white spaghetti strap tank that tied in the front with crisscross strings, which only covered her bust and nothing more.

Raye stared at her friend, trying to process what she was about to do. "Serena… I don't think changing your attire is going to do much. If _anything_."

Serena laughed. "Raye, I'm not doing it for Darien. I'm doing it because I told you, we're going out. Shopping, to be exact. Raye," Serena said seriously. "Look at my figure. Now look at my closet."

"Okay…" Raye said, not getting her point.

"Don't you think I should have at least _something_ to show it off? Nothing too provocative of course, because I'm a mother now and Annabelle is here. But I need something. Low cut shirts, jean skirts, _something_, Raye. I'm done living this life where I act like the perfect house wife because Darien wants me to. No, I'm living it my way now."

Raye chuckled. "Wow Serena. I never thought you'd say something like that. Usually you're into the whole house wife thing. And the clothes… well come on Serena. You still look _hot_ even if you're wearing just black slacks and a white button up blouse!"

"I see your point, and you're right," Serena exclaimed. "But, buying new clothes will… make me feel _liberated_. And maybe… Darien will actually realize what he married."

Raye frowned. So it was about Darien. "Serena, honey, come on. You have to stop this. Darien will come around whether you change your wardrobe or not. Don't do something that's going to change you if you don't want to."

Serena had to smile at her friends' observation. "Oh but Raye, I want to do this. It'll be fun. A change in my boring house wife life."

Raye heaved a sigh and gave up. "All right, fine you can do whatever you want. Where are we going?"

The blue eyed woman beamed at her friend. "Random places in the mall I suppose. Anywhere that catches our eye."

Raye nodded. "Okay that sounds good. Are you driving?"

"Yes. It's been a while since I've driven my car. I'm starting to miss it." Serena laughed.

"Fine you can drive, but you better not drive like Mina's grandmother. I don't think I can take an hour of 30 mile an hour driving."

"Raye, Raye, Raye." Serena murmured in disapproval while she changed into her skimpy, but cute outfit. "Do you not know what kind of car I drive? I'm not sure an Audi Coupe is meant to go below 50 anyway. Don't worry Raye," she winked. "I have a bit of a need for speed."

"On second thought," Raye exclaimed.

"Oh no you don't," Serena laughed. "I am driving no matter what. I promise to not go over 70."

Raye glared at her. "Make it 60 and we have a deal."

"Raye, the speed limit is 75 on the highway! I can't go 15mph under the speed limit." Serena protested.

"Fine," Raye scowled. "But I better make it home today. If we die, I'll kill you in heaven."

Serena burst into a fit of laughs. "Okay Raye, you do that."

Serena finished getting dressed and slipped on a pair of white sneakers. They were out the door and into the garage in record time. Both were excited to actually be doing something fun together.

"Wow Serena, I love your car." Raye murmured in appreciation as she looked over the silver Audi directly in front of her.

"Thanks." Serena said as she got into the drivers seat, Raye slipping into the passenger seat beside her.

"Liberation, here we come." Serena said excitedly as she drove out onto the driveway and out the gate, headed to their destination.

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_Soooo. How was it? Good, bad? Boring? Be a doll and tell me what you thought about it: ) Reviews REALLY count this time with my updating because I'll have to make a specific date to start working on the next chapter. Schools back for me P Review! (09.07.07)_


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